1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to color video tape recorders and more particularly to a magnetic recording and/or reproducing apparatus and methods thereof for recording and/or reproducing a composite color TV (television) signal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A known home video tape recorder (VTR) according to the so-called U-matic (trade name) standard employs what might be called a "color under" system. According to the color under system, during recording, a luminance signal is frequency-modulated to be an FM luminance signal and a carrier chrominance signal is frequency-converted into a "frequency down converted" signal so as to have a frequency which is lower than that of the FM luminance signal. Then, the frequency down converted chrominance signal and the FM luminance signal are frequency-multiplexed and then recorded on a magnetic tape. During reproduction, the original color video signal is reproduced by performing the signal processing in the opposite fashion to the signal processing employed during recording.
In the NTSC color TV system, as shown in FIG. 1A, the band of the luminance signal Y lies within a range of about 0 to 4.2 MHz and has a color subcarrier frequency of fs (.perspectiveto.3.58 MHz). The band of the carrier chrominance signal C lies within a range from fs+0.5 MHz to fs-1.5 MHz. In FIG. 1A, a burst signal is represented by reference letter B.
In the thus arranged color under system VTR, however, the carrier chrominance signal is frequency down converted and cannot keep a sufficiently wide band so that the band of the recorded and then reproduced carrier chrominance signal C lies within a range of about fs.+-.0.5 MHz. For this reason, the color under system VTR cannot record and reproduce color video signals without degrading the resolution of the color signal component.
A professional VTR employs a so-called "direct" system in which the color video signal is directly converted into the FM signal and then recorded and reproduced. Thus, the resolution of the color signal component can be protected from being degraded. But, if a home VTR employs the direct system for recording and reproduction, the band width in which the signal is recorded and reproduced is not sufficiently wide, thereby lowering the S/N (signal-to-noise) ratio and producing moire. Therefore, a home VTR that employs the direct system is not useful in practice.